AFL-CIO Blog

  • Safety and Security: Worker Wins
    Safety and Security: Worker Wins Our latest roundup of worker wins features important victories for safety and security during the COVID-19 pandemic and includes numerous examples of working people organizing, bargaining and mobilizing for a better life.  Airline Worker Unions Win Protections During Pandemic: More than a half dozen unions representing workers in the airline industry fought to secure protections during the COVID-19 pandemic. The CARES Act, which passed in March, $31 billion in direct grants were approved to airline industry workers and another $25 billion in loans or grants for the industry. Sara Nelson, president of the Flight Attendants-CWA (AFA-CWA), said: “This is an unprecedented win for front-line aviation workers and a template all workers can build from. The grants we won in this bill will save hundreds of thousands of jobs and will keep working people connected to healthcare.” Front-Line Stop & Shop Workers Win Protections, Additional Pay: More than 70,000 employees at Stop & Shop and Peapod in New Jersey, New York and New England represented by the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) secured a 10% pay increase and up to two additional weeks of paid sick leave as a response to coronavirus. UFCW International President Marc Perrone said: “As we know, grocery workers like Stop & Shop employees have been on the front lines of this crisis, serving the needs of millions of families in the northeast. Protecting them is absolutely essential to our communities and food supply now more than ever.” Nuclear Power Plant Workers in Texas Vote to Join IBEW: Phyllis Goines, business manager of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 220, reported that workers at Day & Zimmermann (D&Z) radiological services voted to join the union to improve their working conditions at a nuclear power plant in Glen Rose, Texas. Goines said the bargaining unit consists of some 60 workers in a variety of jobs, including electrical, custodial and outdoor maintenance. Union organizers faced heavy opposition as D&Z used a combination of management scare tactics and threats about the impact of the pandemic. The scare tactics didn't work. In the end, a majority of workers stood their ground. “I'm glad it's over,” Goines said, adding that she looks forward to seeing workers reap the benefits of negotiating their first union contract together in solidarity. Professors and Graduate Students Score Victories: In the past few months, organizing drives led by graduate students, contract negotiations and other pro-worker actions have resulted in victories, including: University of Illinois at Chicago, Georgetown, Brown, Harvard and Oregon State. SAG-AFTRA and AFM Score Entertainment Industry Victories: SAG-AFTRA's board has voted to recommend members accept the 2020 TV/Theatrical Agreement, which contains the largest financial compensation the union has negotiated, at $318 million over three years. Separately, SAG-AFTRA and the American Federation of Musicians (AFM) announced a deal that would provide record-breaking royalty payments for session musicians and singers. Bradenton Herald Newsroom Joins The NewsGuild: As part of a wider wave of union organizing in Florida and at McClatchy-owned newspapers, the newsroom at the Bradenton Herald voted to join The NewsGuild-CWA. Veteran reporter Jessica De Leon said: “Today, the newsroom of the Bradenton Herald stood up, not just to demand better working conditions for ourselves but to preserve quality local journalism in Bradenton, and our voices were heard. I’m beyond grateful for the amazing team we have and all the support we’ve received from our community, colleagues and fellow journalists around the country.” Workers Unionize at Bank Formerly Owned by Tom Steyer: Workers in Oregon, California and Washington at Beneficial Bank, which was founded by former presidential candidate Steyer, who resigned from the bank's board to run for president. The majority of eligible employees signed union authorization cards to be represented by the Communications Workers of America (CWA). Hearthside Food Solutions Workers Join UFCW: In the first National Labor Relations Board-led unionization vote since the beginning of the pandemic, the majority of workers at the cereal-packing plant in Byhalia, Mississippi, voted to be represented by the UFCW. Rose Turner, a UFCW organizer, said: "Today, I feel better than I feel in the last 45 days." NPEU Leads Wave of Unionization in Nonprofit Sector: The Nonprofit Professional Employees Union (NPEU), IFPTE Local 70, recently announced a series of organizing victories, including: Friends of the Earth, National Women's Law Center, Pittsburgh United, Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, National Immigration Law Center, the Groundwork Collaborative, Scholars Strategy Network and J Street. Kenneth Quinnell Wed, 07/08/2020 - 13:54 Tags: Organizing — Jul 8
  • Service + Solidarity Spotlight: Rally to Save the News Held in Chicago
    Service + Solidarity Spotlight: Rally to Save the News Held in Chicago AFL-CIO During the COVID-19 pandemic and widespread protests in response to the killing of George Floyd, working people across the United States have stepped up to help out our friends, neighbors and communities. In our new Service + Solidarity Spotlight series, we'll showcase one of those stories every day. Here's today's story. The Chicago Federation of Labor helped host a “Save the News” rally in downtown Chicago. Union members were joined by the Rev. Jesse Jackson and Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza, as well as other community leaders. They spoke about the need for free and fair access to information, and how it is especially critical for working people right now because of the pandemic, the economic crisis and the protests against racial injustice. “The public’s right to information is at stake more than ever because of the risks journalists face,” Don Villar (NABET-CWA), secretary-treasurer of the federation, said in a statement. “Journalists put their health and safety at risk to show how a global pandemic is affecting our city, and how protests have roiled the streets of Chicago. They all want to do their jobs in a historic moment, but we have journalists put on the sidelines by furloughs.” Kenneth Quinnell Wed, 07/08/2020 - 09:29 Tags: COVID-19, Community Service — Jul 8
  • Protect Working Families: In the States Roundup
    Protect Working Families: In the States Roundup AFL-CIO It's time once again to take a look at the ways working people are making progress in the states. Click on any of the links to follow the state federations on Twitter. California Labor Federation: Colorado AFL-CIO: Connecticut AFL-CIO: Florida AFL-CIO: Georgia State AFL-CIO: Indiana State AFL-CIO: Iowa Federation of Labor: Maine AFL-CIO: Massachusetts AFL-CIO: Metro Washington (D.C.) Council AFL-CIO: Michigan State AFL-CIO: Minnesota AFL-CIO: Missouri AFL-CIO: Montana State AFL-CIO: Nevada State AFL-CIO: New Hampshire AFL-CIO: New Jersey State AFL-CIO: New York State AFL-CIO: North Carolina State AFL-CIO: North Dakota AFL-CIO: Ohio AFL-CIO: Oregon AFL-CIO: Pennsylvania AFL-CIO: Rhode Island AFL-CIO: Tennessee AFL-CIO Labor Council: Texas AFL-CIO: Virginia AFL-CIO: Washington State Labor Council: Wisconsin State AFL-CIO: Kenneth Quinnell Tue, 07/07/2020 - 15:44 — Jul 7
  • Service + Solidarity Spotlight: School Leaders Issue Guide to Reopen Schools Safely
    Service + Solidarity Spotlight: School Leaders Issue Guide to Reopen Schools Safely AFSA During the COVID-19 pandemic and widespread protests in response to the killing of George Floyd, working people across the United States have stepped up to help out our friends, neighbors and communities. In our new Service + Solidarity Spotlight series, we'll showcase one of those stories every day. Here's today's story. School supervisory personnel who were among the first to call for closing schools at the start of the pandemic have released a new, comprehensive guide for reopening schools safely. “School leaders want to reopen their schools, on time and in person,” said Ernest Logan, president of the School Administrators (AFSA), which represents principals, assistant principals, supervisors, and school directors and managers. “In a time of social and emotional upheaval, our students have never needed us more. This is not going to be easy and it's going to cost upward to $300 billion.” The AFSA guide, Reopening Schools Safely in the Age of COVID, covers the major challenges schools must address as the pandemic continues. These issues range from sanitizing schools, hand-washing, physical distancing and health screening to managing lunchrooms and transportation, redesigning academic programs and facilities, and training staff. Kenneth Quinnell Tue, 07/07/2020 - 13:29 Tags: COVID-19, Community Service — Jul 7
  • Service + Solidarity Spotlight: 'Airline Workers Are Doing Everything That We Can to Make the Flights Safe'
    Service + Solidarity Spotlight: 'Airline Workers Are Doing Everything That We Can to Make the Flights Safe' During the COVID-19 pandemic and widespread protests in response to the killing of George Floyd, working people across the United States have stepped up to help out our friends, neighbors and communities. In our new Service + Solidarity Spotlight series, we'll showcase one of those stories every day. Here's today's story. What does the future hold for air travel? Safety must be the first and highest priority for both workers and passengers, according to Transport Workers Union (TWU) President John Samuelsen. “It is safe to fly, but also, passengers on planes have a level of responsibility,” he said in a recent video from HuffPost. “Facial coverings are a necessity. Personal sanitation on the planes is a necessity. Everybody has a responsibility to ensure that COVID-19 doesn’t spread on these flights.” As air travel continues to gradually increase from its lowest levels in April, TWU members in the airline industry are working to ensure that passengers are as safe as possible. Kenneth Quinnell Mon, 07/06/2020 - 10:53 Tags: COVID-19, Community Service — Jul 6